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Denman |
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DENMAN (IRE)
8 ch g Presenting - Polly Puttens (Pollerton)
Form: 11112/11111-1111 Owners: Paul Barber & Margaret Findlay Jockey: Sam Thomas
Trainer: Paul Nicholls Breeder: Colman O'Flynn
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Denman
Born on April 17, 2000, Denman was bred by haulage contractor Colman
O’Flynn at his farm close to Fermoy in Co Cork after a liaison
between his mare Polly Puttens - who produced Silverburn a year later
- and the stallion Presenting at the neighbouring Rathbarry Stud. Denman
was due to be sold at the 2004 Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale but was
spun for his wind and immediately afterwards had a hobday operation.
He went into training with former jockey Adrian Maguire and won his
only point-to-point start well at Liscarroll on March, 2005. Paul Barber
and trainer Paul Nicholls were suitably impressed and bought the gelding
privately and he arrives at Cheltenham as the winner of 12 of his 13
starts under Rules. His debut season in Britain saw him rattle off
four straight wins as he scored twice at Wincanton in October and November,
2005, before landing the Grade One stanjamesuk.com Challow Hurdle at
Cheltenham in January, 2006, and collecting a minor event at Bangor
the following month. His only defeat came when second in the 2006 Ballymore
Properties Novices' Hurdle, his last outing of the campaign. His novice
chasing career began at Exeter in October, 2006, with an easy victory
over 2005 JCB Triumph Hurdle victor Penzance and was followed by a
three quarters of a length verdict over Don't Push It in the Jim Brown
Memorial Novices' Chase at Cheltenham the following month. He comfortably
saw off three rivals to land the Grade Two Berkshire Novices' Chase
at Newbury later that month and returned to the course for a facile
success in a three-runner three-mile event on February 10, 2007. He
extended his winning sequence to five with an emphatic success at The
Festival in the 2007 Grade One Royal & SunAlliance Chase. He jumped
like a veteran, scarcely putting a foot wrong throughout the extended
three-mile race, and travelled supremely well at the head of affairs.
He started this season with a foot-perfect display to win the Grade
Three Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury on December 1, under top-weight,
ridden by totesport Gold Cup partner Sam Thomas. He travelled to Ireland
for the Grade One Lexus Chase at Leopardstown on December 28, when
he proved too good for rivals Mossbank, The Listener and veteran Beef
Or Salmon. He returned to Newbury on February 9, when he gave a bold
display to easily account for his three rivals in the Grade Two Aon
Chase. He won the 2008
totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup in great style
from his stable companions Kauto Star and Neptune Collonges today.
Race Record: Starts: 14; Wins: 13; 2nd: 1; 3rd: 0; Win & Place Prize
Money: £676,114
Paul Barber and Margaret Findlay
Paul Barber’s family have farmed near Ditcheat since the 1830s
and he oversees a large dairy herd that produces Barbers and Maryland
Farmhouse Cheese, run by Paul’s brother Nicholas. Paul - who has
been allergic to cheese since the age of five - was born on December
31, 1942, in the house where he still lives, stating “I’ve
never thought about living elsewhere” and despite no family involvement
with racing, has owned horses for 45 years. His first winner was a horse
called Crazy Slave, who scored in 1963, and his main flagbearers before
Denman are headed by the 1999 totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup winner See
More Business. Others to carry his colours include See More Indians,
who won eight races out of 14, and the John Thorne-trained Artifice.
Barber owns Nicholls’s Manor Farm Stables, initially converted
from a cow shed, and many of his best performers have had an initial
grounding in point-to-points, either with Liam Burke in Ireland or Barber’s
brother Richard - who has trained four Festival winners - at Seaborough
in Dorset. Barber’s partner in many of his horses is professional
gambler Harry Findlay, whose horses run in the name of his mother Margaret.
The London-born Findlay, who now lives near Bath, is a one-time greyhound
trainer who is now best known as a fearless high-stakes punter. He is
a regular winner of the Tote’s Scoop 6 bet and specialises in long
odds-on bets on Betfair. He met Paul Barber at Doncaster sales and the
duo have teamed up to own a number of promising performers which - apart
from Denman - include this season’s Racing Post Chase winner Gungadu
and Desert Quest, who landed the 2006 Vincent O’Brien County Handicap
Hurdle. Desert Quest was bought from Findlay’s winnings when he
backed Roger Federer to win the US Open.
Paul Barber’s totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup win: 1999 SEE MORE
BUSINESS, 2008 DENMAN
Paul Nicholls
Paul Nicholls, the son of a policeman, was born in Olveston near Bristol,
on April 17, 1962, and has been training at Manor Farm Stables in Ditcheat,
Somerset, since taking out a licence on November 1, 1991. He started
out as a jump jockey and twice rode the winner of the Hennessy Cognac
Gold Cup at Newbury, in 1986 and 1987. He partnered 130 winners between
1980 and 1989, and nominates the best horses he rode as Broadheath,
Playschool and Seagram. Between 1989 and 1991, he was assistant trainer
to former Devon-based David Barons. Having strongly challenged Martin
Pipe for the jump trainers’ championship in recent years, most
notably when pushing his great rival right to the last day of the 2004/05
campaign, he claimed his first title in 2005/06 and took a second championship
last season. With huge strength in depth at his yard, he looks long
odds-on to win the title again this year, thanks to the likes of last
year’s totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Kauto Star, Denman,
Master Minded Twist Magic and a host of other leading contenders at
this year’s Festival. Nicholls pulled off the amazing feat of
saddling seven winners and three seconds from his 10 runners on Saturday,
November 7, 1998, and made history when he became the first trainer
to saddle six winners on the same card, at Wincanton, his local track,
on Saturday, January 21, 2006. Another highpoint in his training career
came at the 1999 Cheltenham Festival, as he captured the major chase
on each of the three days - Flagship Uberalles scored in the Irish
Independent Arkle Chase, Call Equiname in the Queen Mother Champion
Chase the following day and, best of all, See More Business took the
totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup. Nicholls has trained 17 Cheltenham Festival
winners in total, and was the most successful trainer at The Festival
in 1999, 2004, 2006 and again in 2007. His four successes last year
were Kauto Star in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup, Denman in the
Royal & SunAlliance Chase, Taranis in the Ryanair Chase and Andreas
in the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase.
totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup victories: 1999 SEE MORE BUSINESS, 2007
KAUTO STAR, 2008 DENMAN
Sam Thomas
Sam Thomas hails from a family of school teachers, with both his parents
and his sister engaged in that profession but bucked the trend by forging
a successful career as a jump jockey. Born on June 22, 1984, in Abergavenny,
he began riding ponies at the age of four before graduating to the
Welsh point-to-point circuit. After training at the British Racing
School in Newmarket, he joined Welshpool trainer David Evans. Initially
he rode on the Flat, but after 20 winless rides, decided to turn to
jump racing and joined the Hereford yard of Venetia Williams. He broke
his duck on Indian Sun in a Ludlow selling hurdle in April, 2003. His
first professional victory came in November, 2003, when he rode I Tina
to glory in a Chepstow selling hurdle. Thomas - who was once shortlisted
for the Bachelor of the Year award, organised by woman's magazine,
Company - is second rider behind Ruby Walsh at Paul Nicholls’ yard.
While Walsh was injured earlier this season, he enjoyed a great spell
aboard some of the Nicholls stable stars - landing the Betfair Chase
on Kauto Star, the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup on Denman and Tingle Creek
Chase on Twist Magic. He had his first winner on Denman at The Festival.
Denman- totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup winner 2008.
